DIY Knockoff Chainmail Lamp

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We had a mishap a little while back with the lamp in our entry way. It got broken. It happens – no big deal. And our entry way is relatively dark, requiring a lamp for when guests are over, so they can find their way in and out of the house.

But replacing a lamp is not very easy in our house. My husband has strong opinions about two things decor related: lamps and rugs. It is not that he doesn’t have strong opinions about other things, it is more that he and I see eye-to-eye on everything else. I tend to be more accepting of lighting options in general. He seems to be particular. And though we have been married for almost 10 years, I have yet to discern what appeals to him. He is like a moving target in regards to lamps – I can’t pin him down.

The lamp we had previously was a glass vessel lamp that I used to fill seasonally with random bits of things and D was accepting of it. In fact when the lamp broke, he told me he would approve of a similar lamp.

And then we took a shopping trip to our favorite local boutique, Trestle and I found the LAMP!

You know that moment when you are shopping and you just know that is the item for your home? The gotta have it, can’t live without it kind of item?

And then, you look at the price tag? And slowly come to grips with the fact that you will never own that item.

Well, that is the LAMP! And D actually agreed! I love the chain mail look of the lamp – the delicate overlay looks so chic! But I am not a fan of the gold – not really our aesthetic.

And then I thought about it for a long time and decided I could make that! Or something approximating that. And for a lot less!

I am not what I would term a DIY-er.

Not in the least.

But for some reason this project idea just spoke to me. I KNEW I could do it.

So, I shopped around for a little while and picked up all the items I thought I would need for the task. And then I waited for way too long to get it done. But I got it done and I am in love with the result.

Here’s what I did:

DIY Knockoff Chainmail Lamp

Materials

Procedure

1. The ornament hangers I purchased had a large hook on one end (with a decorative ball) and a small hook on the other end. I decided I wanted to make the chains for the lamp connect by matching-sized hooks. So I matched up one small hook with another small hook and joined them together.

To join them together I held the top of the small hook (with the other hook hanging from the bottom of it) and pulled the long end toward it with the needle nose pliers. I found this bent the hook less, which worked for the look I was going for.

I created chains of 9 hangers each to stretch around the lamp and fit very snug.

2. I measured the height of the lamp base and determined that I would need 14 chains to cover the lamp base, leaving about an inch of space between each chain.

3. Once I got all the chains I needed, I stretched a chain around the lamp base and connected the chain together and joined them to one another using the needle nose pliers. I repeated this process until I had all the chains on the lamp. If the chains were a little too loose to fit snug, I tightened the chains a little bit at each connection to make them more secure.

That was it! I couldn’t believe how easy the process was. I do realize that my lamp does not officially have the chain mail look that I loved from the inspiration lamp, but I was very happy with the result and stopped while I was ahead. If you are interested in doing the chain mail look, I don’t think it would be too hard to connect the chains to one another to create a more specific look.

I am still toying with the lamp shade. Finding just the right lampshade has taken a long time and will likely be on the lookout for more in the future. UPDATE: I finally found the perfect shade at Target! It is grey and looks amazing on the lamp! But I love the look of the lamp in our new entry way! It makes me smile to look at it and that is what good design does (in my book)!

And in the end, instead of spending over $500 on the designer boutique lamp, I spent around $60 for our entryway lamp (shopping with coupons and sales, of course!)! I love a good deal and I think this one is GREAT!

Are you a DIY person? What is your latest project? Here are a some of mine:

20 Comments

I’m not a DIY-er yet, but I have aspirations to improve my skills now that my husband and I are moving into our own home. I can’t wait to experiment and get crafty! Budgeting is always an issue, of course, and I’m up for the challenge. In fact, rather than heading out to spend tons of cash on new decor, I’m slowly piecing everything together and getting inspiration for my own creations instead. It feels good!

That’s the way to do it, Meg! When my husband and I got married, we had a dining table with 3 chairs and a full bedframe and mattress! It takes a long time to create the space you love, but then it looks like you want it to because you collected things along the way!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving an encouraging comment.

Whoa! This is amazing. Two things: #1: our husbands might be twins. My hubby and I agree on almost everything interior decor related… But I cannot easily find where we overlap on lighting and rugs. Weird! #2: I am not sure you can ever again say that you are not a DIYer. Cuz now we all know you are. This is so legit! Xoxo thanks for sharing at the Caffeinated Crafters Link Party!

Thanks, April for such an encouraging comment. Good DIYer out the box! I do have lots of other projects set to go, so I have to keep your encouraging words in my mind as I do them! That is so strange about our husband twinning! Maybe it is a guy thing? Hmmm…

Ha!! I totally love your knock off version better. This reminds me of this show I’ve seen on HGTV where there were styles a couple liked but the designer’s job was to recreate that for a much lower price. A lot of her creations and finds were more DIY like this. 🙂

Hi! I am Leah from Simple.Home.Blessings. So glad you are here! I am a wife & mom trying to do homemaking without fussiness; seeking to find joy in the everyday things of life. I write about raising kids, building a nest for my family, the pennies we get from heaven, & being devoted to God & one another.

Hang out for a little while & see the simple things going on in our home that might be a blessing to you. Connect with me through social media & come find out more about our family and home here.

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